TV and Film Gone Green by Ditching Green Screen: Sustainable Innovation Through the Lense of ‘The Mandalorian’ [21068606]

Photo by StarWars.com 2020

What is ‘The Mandalorian’?

Currently in its third season, ‘The Mandalorian’, first released in 2019, has lead the innovation of virtual production in both Television and Film. The series immerses itself into the Star Wars universe, where we follow a lone bounty hunter running away from imperial forces across the galaxy. The well-established Sci-fi universe meant that the production thrusts itself into producing a magnificent array of visual effects to bring this fictional world to life.

Video Created by Star Wars on YouTube, 2023

With a great demand for outstanding visual effects, came the introduction of a revolutionary innovation that has altered the way TV and Film in the genre of sci-fi and fantasy is filmed. Ditching the green screen and introducing virtual production of ‘StageCraft.’

What is StageCraft?

Created by a pioneering company known for their ground-breaking creations in visual effects, ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) partnered with Epic Games (Creator of ‘Unreal Engine) developing a virtual production set made up of LED walls that are programmed to show a photorealistic 3D world. The screen walls are known by the cast and crew as ‘The Volume’, which is 20 feet tall, 75 feet in diameter and covers 270 degrees of the set, illuminating an immersive set for all the cast and crew.

For shows like ‘The Mandalorian’, fans expect to be transported to an alternative world, or galaxy, which creates a complex task for the filmmakers on each of the projects. Green screens are used so that during post production, they can later add the special effects or CGI. This meant that during production, the actors and crew have to use their imaginations and guess what the visuals will end up looking like. Consequently, film productions use multiple lighting techniques around the set in order to irradiate the green screen glare and create realistic lighting that would match the final image on the screen.

By using the LED video walls, it irradiates the need for additional lighting techniques and the excessive post-production process, as it already delivers the lighting and imagery needed to bring the worlds to life. Additionally, everyone involved in the production is more immersed and inspired whilst creating the project, making sure everyone is on the same page while filming

How is it sustainable?

In the last couple decades, industry policies regarding cinema have made suggestions on how to become ‘greener’ and more sustainable. The aim? To reduce the industry’s overall negative environmental impact. The ‘SPA’ (Sustainable Production Alliance) is a combination of the worlds leading film, television and streaming companies, supporting the objective of advancing sustainable initiatives. The Green Production Guide, prepared by the ‘SPA’, is an online toolkit designed to reduce industry carbon footprints by evaluating ways in which productions can be more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. One thing the guide, and other sustainable missions analyse, is the switch to LED technology, as it converts a higher percentage of energy into light, producing less heat, and in return less carbon emissions.

StageCraft aligns itself with sustainable industry governance, as ‘The Volume’ uses LED’s for its video wall, using 70% less energy then incandescent lights, further cutting its carbon emissions. Not only that, but it can bring locations to the comfort of ‘The Volume’! The production avoids having to travel sets, props and crews to distant locations, lessening fuel and time waisted.

Marissa Gomes (ILM visual effects producer): “You can switch from the Iceland to the desert locations all within the same day of shooting”

Video created by StudioBinder on YouTube, 2023

This groundbreaking technology has forced productions into a more efficient workflow, that draws pre and post production into one space. With crews covering 30-50% more pages a day, not only is virtual production sustainable environmentally, but it also saves time and money.

The Star Wars franchise has been used to explore film and TV’s environmental impact, due to its high production value. With the research conducted by ‘The EIF Project’, Star Wars, including ‘The Mandalorian’, continues to affiliate with improving sustainability goals.

StageCraft going global

Some other productions that have used StageCraft included ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ (2022), ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ (2023), and most recently ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ (2024). Permanent volumes have been built in Los Angeles, London, and Sydney, whilst ILM have alluded to their ability to provide “pop up” sets, which allows multiple productions to reuse and access the video wall soundstage. Large productions can invest in StageCraft, which can eliminate other production elements that take up a lot of time and money, adding to the positive long-term efficiency, rather than having to create large sets from scratch and wasting materials.

The Future

Overall, the system looks more realistic then a green screen, and allows for quicker setups in a controlled environment. There is one drawback of this new technology, which is limited camera movement. This is for moving shots where someone could be running away for a long amount of time. But just as there were drawbacks of green screen, companies light ‘ILM’ continue to create and improve, whilst also having a sustainable practice in mind. The innovation initiated for “The Mandalorian” is beginning to revolutionise the film industry and push for standards towards sustainability.

Lollapalooza Unplugged: Discovering a Path Towards Zero-Emission Music Festivals (C2045566)

source: udiscovermusic (2023)

Whether you’re chronically online like the rest of us or not, there is no way to escape the chatter around Taylor Swift’s eras tour. It’s everywhere. Because let’s face it, it was undoubtedly the largest event phenomenon of 2023. It has been said that the tour brought in nearly six billion dollars to the U.S. economy alone!

This sort of impact was near enough unprecedented, so it is safe to say that our creative industries are booming, generating revenue like never before at global levels. But what does this actually mean if it is achieved with little regard for our ecosystem? Just as quickly as she was applauded, it seems that Swift now equally faces criticism, dubbed the climate ‘Anti-Hero’, and ridiculed on social media for her high emission habits.

source: (@thnkscass, X)

It really begs to question just how concerned we are about the environmental impact of live music events?

Spotlight on REVERB, Pioneers of Sustainable Concert Initiatives

REVERB is an environmental, non-profit organisation who have been working to promote more sustainable industry practice, to negate the very large carbon footprint caused by the music industry. Some have stated that the industry provides a certain inevitability of eco-friendly failings, that the negative environmental impact go hand in hand with the music sector, but I think perhaps it is within such thinking that prevents these issues (and possible solutions!) from being discussed in the way that they should be, that for once prioritises the state of our planet over revenue.

Of course, the issue that the industry faces is, let’s say, tricky. It is not like we could just tell Taylor Swift to stop touring, consequently halting her career as an artist to salvage and save our burning planet – oh Taylor please! Where would that get the industry? Because it’s not just Taylor – a study tracking the carbon emissions of five music artists showed that over the duration of just one tour season they were able to generate 19,314kg of CO2.

Luckily, REVERB does well in acknowledging the unique challenges that the music industry faces, posing innovative strategy to not only aid the situation, but widely broadcasting the problem too.

Billie’s Eco-Collab-Anthem, Grooving Towards a Greener Tomorrow

On August 3^rd, 2023, Billie Eilish partnered with REVERB to launch their Music Decarbonization Project at Lollapalooza. This featured the use of solar powered, zero emission battery ‘farms’, supplied by Overdrive Energy Solutions.

source: REVERB (2023)

The ten thousand square foot solar array was built in only four hours, left to charge on site for a few days before they were swiftly removed before the festival was set to begin. These battery systems were not only equipped to power Eilish’s eighty-minute-long headline set once, but if required, ten more times without the need to recharge! Talk about efficiency.

source: Overdrive Energy Solutions

Being a little ‘greener’ is supposedly easier to do when we are able to take small actions that are convenient, that fit in with our oh so busy schedules, and that calls us to act as part of a greater collective. Eilish, REVERB and Overdrive Energy Solutions present an example of the ways in which industry collaboration can manifest positive environmental consequences. Prominent actors within the music sector must now utilise and embrace a certain level of wider integration, as studies have shown it is essential for its growth and sustainability.

The solar powered systems used for Eilish’s set at Lollapalooza showcases a very real and positive path that many others in the industry can now employ. What’s more is by spotlighting an international artist on a global stage, the intention to reach as many listeners as possible and draw them into environmental action was truly (amp)lified.

  “We’re hoping high-profile examples of real, immediate clean power solutions will inspire and accelerate both music’s and individuals’ efforts to decarbonize…”

says Adam Gardner, co-founder of REVERB.

Breaking the Silence, So Why is There Still a Lack of Environmental Consciousness in the Music Industry?

Well, it is a big industry. Equally, we can’t place the onus of the problem onto artists alone. Change often takes time, and a number of appropriate initiatives must be put in place. The push for more policy incentives from the government are few to none. Though Professor McLachlan enquired for more industry accountability the requirement to uphold this role by the government was dismissed. Government intervention within the music industry has long been absent, with the strong notion that it will do fine without it.

Although, we have seen Universal Music Group taking action, and also partnering with REVERB, announcing annual awards to artists who exemplify the commitment to, and achievement of, measurable steps to reduce their environmental footprint. To have such a huge music corporation, one that oversees some of the biggest names in the industry, not only show interest in environmental practice but encourage this within said artists (we’re all looking at you again Taylor, because offsetting your crazy carbon emissions, sadly, is not a solution), is very encouraging.

But of course, it is blindingly obvious that more can be done. Unplugging Lollapalooza was a step in the right direction to spotlight live music’s climate issue, the industries momentum is certainly building, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it is important that sustainability is not seen as a fad. It might be a few more years till we see carbon neutral concerts, perhaps a bit optimistic but we’re hopeful.

All images and media have been used under fair usage for educational purposes.